Fulham 4 Wisla Kracow 1

Now wasn`t that so much better than the last chance we all congregated at Craven Cottage?

A thumping win, a chance to boo a certain Argentine gentleman and the chance to sit in a smoke filled environment and also wonder just what our stewards were searching for when the Polish supporters came through the entrances.

Desperate to enhance our chances of getting through to the next stages of this competition, a competition that goes on for ever, Fulham got off to a cracking start.

With just five minutes on the clock Damien Duff broke the deadlock. Zamora and Johnson combined and Duff was on hand to meet the ball perfectly.

All credit to the visitors though because four minutes later they were back on level terms when Kirm equalised, his shot taking a deflection off of Riise.

As the game switched, quickly, from end to end, Fulham thought they`d taken the lead again when Duff saw his shot parried by the keeper for Andy Johnson to slot home, sadly AJ was in an offside position and the goal was ruled out.

But that second Fulham goal did come and what a cracker of a goal it was. Danny Murphy saw a corner cleared but when the ball was worked back to him the cross in was met sublimely by Johnson with an acrobatic volley.

As half time approached, Fulham could have scored again, Duff fired over form some distance out and Clint Dempsey rattled the bar with an effort. A quite remarkable forty-five minutes.

Half Time - Fulham 2 Wisla Kracow 1

Kracow tried to get back on level terms in the early stages of the second half but Schwarzer was having none of it and pushed a shot from our friend, Nunez, past the post.

Just before the hour mark Fulham put the fixture beyond the Polish sides reach with another exceptional goal and once again the finish came from the silky Johnson.

Having won a free kick, Murphy found Zamora and when his flick found AJ the arrogant flick over the keeper brought Craven Cottage to its feet.

It now seemed to be only a mater of how many, but the visitors` gallant defending was to restrict Fulham to one last goal, coming from Steve Sidwell. On as a substitute Sidwell met a cross from Duff which cannoned off the bar, but the midfielder remained alert to smash home the rebound.